Better late than never?
The 49ers were smart to wait till the second round to select Nevada's Colin Kaepernick.
So in all the knee-jerk glory and perspective that is the NFL draft, it was hard to not hate the 49ers’ decision to pass up on the likes of Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton and, yes, Ryan Mallett. With the No. 7 pick in the first round, the 49ers brass decided to go with defensive end Aldon Smith out of Missouri — Gabbert’s teammate. With time, I’ve come to terms with their decision because, simply, after Cam Newton’s selection (at No. 1 overall) the quality of talent in the draft pool dropped significantly.
Stop for a second and think about the NFL draft in terms of value over need. (With all this time in New England covering the Patriots, that word is starting to stick with me.) The 49ers were drafting based on value. Value — not need — determined who they took at the No. 7 spot. And value, not need, is what kept them for choosing a quarterback in the first round. It’s widely known that the cost of an NFL quarterback in the draft is outrageous. With Newton as the top pick, the pay scale for the 2011 rookies is likely to blow the minds of every NFL owner if this lockout is ever resolved. (And a rookie wage scale may avert this problem in the future.) With the economics of the draft tied so closely into the maneuverability for franchises, particularly in free agency, passing on quarterbacks and running backs is almost the prudent thing to do when you’re drafting higher than the No. 3 pick.
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All in due time
Defensive end Aldon Smith, the first-round draft pick of San Francisco 49ers, holds up a jersey at a news conference at the team's training facility in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP photo)
In a perfect world, I would’ve already expressed my concern about the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders. That is, if concern is the most appropriate feeling. And I’m sure you’ll agree, that’s been the dominant feeling about both of those football teams for, oh, the last decade.
Instead, I’ve been busy doing Patriots coverage of the NFL draft over on the Extra Points blog for Boston.com. So excuse me as I continue my amateurish ways and hold off on posting something so immediately.
I think some post-draft analysis will be appropriate given the circumstances.
Until then, follow along on Twitter at @zuriberry.
A new dawn for the 49ers
Jim Harbaugh smiles as he is introduced as the San Francisco 49ers' 18th head coach in a press conference. (AP photo)
MADRID — I’m happy to take a moment here on vacation to report that I have been keeping abreast of the news back home and I’m thoroughly pleased with the recent turn of events for the San Francisco 49ers.
The moves of the past month have been needed for a long time.
First, the Week 15 firing of Mike Singletary capped what was surely the most disappointing coaching stint in 49ers history since Dennis Erickson’s “glorious” return from the college ranks. Second, the hiring of 49ers general manager Trent Baalke, who fills a role that was left void following Scot McCloughlan’s abrupt departure after the Mike Nolan reign, put a must needed football man in front of a once awkward power structure. And lastly, Jim Harbaugh’s hiring ices the cake as the 49ers went after, and attained, one of the best college coaches in the game and a guy on everybody’s wish list. (Well, OK, maybe just Miami’s.)
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Easy, breezy Bay Area sports storylines
A roundup of the Bay Area storylines that are dominating my psyche.
So I wrote a little thing about Boston sports summer storylines knowing very well that this topic was going to come up. You know, Bay Area sports storylines.
Here, again, I’m dividing them by individual team. Now, because the Bay Area obviously has more teams than Boston, I’ll just have to write more. But you know who comes first….
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NFL draft: 49ers take OL Anthony Davis with first pick
Anthony Davis, you have been christened a San Francisco 49er. May you always respect the colors and worship Bill Walsh.
Welcome.
Rutgers offensive tackle Anthony Davis was selected by the 49ers with the No. 11 pick.
NFL draft coverage: Who will the 49ers pick?
OK, I really don’t care who they pick. I’m really more interested in what they pick with their first pick of the 2010 NFL draft.
Will it be a quarterback? A wide receiver? A running back? That’s really what’s important.
Readers of this blog will know from prior posts where I stand. The San Francisco 49ers need a quarterback. They continue to sign and trade for receivers as if the team has a receivers problem. Arnaz Battle wasn’t the problem. And Ted Ginn Jr. is not the answer.
Neither is David Carr.
Every problem with the 49ers offense — and I mean every problem — falls at the feet of Alex Smith. He’s a former No. 1 pick that’s not a No. 1 quarterback. That’s plain and simple to me.
No offense to Smith, but 2010-11 cannot be his year for the sake of my sanity. This year, like last year (and the year before that), the 49ers need to go in a different direction.
So what will it be? Jimmy Clausen (above) looks kinda sexy at No. 13 … or No. 17.
Amazing day of news: 49ers name QB, closure for Vick and Stallworth
Rick Pitino's affair is gone into a bizarre zone. So much so, I don't know what to say about it.
First, and most importantly, coach Mike Singletary will plug in Shaun Hill as the team’s starter for the San Francisco 49ers’ first preseason game. It’s an indication, in my mind, that the starting spot is his to lose.
Now, on to the ex-convicts and extra marital affairs.
In unprecedented, but most welcomed, news, Roger Goodell announced a season-long suspension for Donte’ Stallworth.
He had it coming.
I can’t help but think this is karma at work for a guy who literally killed a man while driving drunk and spent 23 days of repentance in soft-core jail. I wrote about the backwards way the justice system was working on this case in June. It was atrocious to mete out a 30-day sentence, however long the probation period.
If you’re scoffing at this, you’re either rich or ignorant.
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NFL training camp wants: Shaun Hill, don’t screw this up
Shaun Hill better have his game together, because the 49ers can't go back to Alex Smith for the sake of my sanity.
I’d hate to have the 49ers go this route for two reasons:
- When Smith was the starter, and healthy, he went 7-9 in the 2006 season while leading the 49ers on two phenomenal comebacks. Unfortunately, these two golden nuggets were not a sign of promise. It’s a sign of his limit. What we’ve come to know of Smith is that he’s fragile. (how did he injure that shoulder again last season? Oh, that’s right, by throwing the ball in practice. The primary function of his job!) He’s also sensitive and he wilts under pressure. Taking slices of Smith’s career and then evaluating him as a whole is faulty logic, and an apologist’s summation for a loser.
- Locker room leadership may take a hit if Hill can’t surpass Smith. I remember vividly the divide on our team in high school when we were trying to determine who would be our quarterback. Of course, it was always up to the coaches but everyone had their sides. And when a decision was made, some folks were disgruntled. If you think that can’t or won’t happen on a professional team, you’re whacko. Last thing Mike Singletary needs on his team is a loser. Guess who fits that description best of the two.
Look, I don’t want to go back down the path of trying something old (relatively speaking), tested and not battle ready. That’s exactly what Smith is. We’ve tried him, it didn’t work, it’s time to move on. Full-time duties should be put on Shaun Hill until he screws that up royally. And if it comes to that, the 49ers need to make moves for a veteran free agent. I mean, Trent Green is available. It can’t get worse than that. Can it?
Feeling a little crabby over 49ers first round pick
Don’t tell me I’m supposed to be happy with that first round.
I think it’s about time to end the Michael Crabtree lovefest. Hands down, Crabs, Crab cakes, or whatever you want to call him (my personal favorite is Crabfest), is the greatest wide receiver in the 2009 NFL Draft, outranking the likes of Oakland’s pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, by a longshot and a steal at No. 10 for the San Francisco 49ers.
But was Crabs really the answer for San Francisco? I don’t think so.
While the pick both excited and stimulated all of 49ers nation into hype not seen since Alex Smith was drafted first overall in 2005, it also killed any hope for what was expected to be the selection of Smith’s replacement.
With Matthew Stafford off the board two days prior and the New York Jets taking USC’s Mark Sanchez, hopes were slim as the remaining talent was heavily scrutinized.
All the while, all the pundits overlooked little old Josh Freeman of Kansas State, selected No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was written off for playing in a poor conference, being a project quarterback and generally not being the cool character that everyone knows Sanchez portrays.
There was so much scrutiny between the Stafford and Sanchez themselves, there wasn’t enough room to bring Freeman into the argument. Not to mention the fact that the 49ers were waddling over selecting one of the top-rated tackles or linebackers, Crabs was a pleasant surprise at No. 10.
“We had a head-on issue with it,” Singletary told the media on draft day. “You’ve got Michael Oher there, you’ve got (Michael) Crabtree. So what do you do? You want to tear up something. You’d like for it to be Crabtree or it’s Michael Oher. But when they’re both there at the same time and how we had our board, Crabtree is one of the best players in the draft so you’ve got to go there.”
You can say The Crabster’s availability threw a wrench in the 49ers’ planning. Or, if you’re thinking as nefariously as I am, the Raiders ruined the 49ers’ plans by passing up on the Texas Tech phenom.
How could they? As a two-time Biletnikoff winner, he was deserving of being the first receiver picked — bad foot and all. He’ll certainly prove his worth for years to come and Old Al will have to read it in his own local newspaper to boot.
Nice.
But the 49ers were quick to jump the gun. Considering there are now 10 wide receivers on the roster, including Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan, Arnaz Battle and Jason Hill, there won’t be enough balls to go around with all the development in the works.
The beautiful part about the NFL draft is there’s always room for redemption. The 49ers did their own version of addressing the quarterback issue and redeeming hopes in the future of the franchise’s lead role by picking up Ball State quarterback Nate Davis in the fifth round.
As Singletary put it, the guy was a steal. But don’t let him get your hopes up, he’ll have to put in at least a year carrying the clip board.
“This year, we’ve got Alex Smith and we’ve got Shaun Hill,” Singletary said. “Those two guys are competing for that job and at the quarterback position right now that’s enough to look at and focus on.”
One thing is for sure, and worthy of praise, there is a plan and there is focus. That’s promising.
Editor’s note: This column originally appeared in The Union.
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